NATO chief Mark Rutte has urged the West to prepare for war \u201clike our grandparents endured\u201d.<\/p>\n
He warned the UK and other allies are next in Russia\u2019s sights \u2013 and said member states must rapidly boost defence spending.<\/p>\n
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Nato chief Mark Rutte had a stark warning for the WestCredit: Reuters<\/p>\n
Nato members were urged to rapidly increase defence spendingCredit: PA<\/p>\n
Ukrainian troops using Vlad\u2019s head as target practiceCredit: Reuters<\/p>\n
Speaking at a security conference event in Berlin<\/a>, Rutte said: \u201cWe are Russia\u2019s next target. I fear that too many are quietly complacent. <\/p>\n \u201cToo many don\u2019t feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now.<\/p>\n \u201cConflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe. And we must be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n Rutte predicted that Russia could engage the alliance in direct conflict within the next five years.<\/p>\n Coming from the chief of Nato, this is no scaremongering \u2013 but a genuine warning to be heeded.<\/p>\n Russia has proven these fears valid even within the past 24 hours.<\/p>\n The Kremlin has sought to exploit the death of Lance Corporal George Hooley \u2013 a British paratrooper in Ukraine \u2013 as justification for expanding its aggression .<\/p>\n Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia\u2019s foreign ministry, said any European servicemen in Ukraine would be regarded as legitimate targets.<\/p>\n Also this week, Nato was forced to scramble fighter jets after the Russian forces overnight launched one of the biggest attacks of the war so far.<\/p>\n Moscow bombed Ukraine with 653\u00a0drones\u00a0and 53 hypersonic and ballistic missiles across 60 waves of airstrikes, Ukraine\u2019s Air Force said.<\/p>\n Footage showed massive flames erupting from buildings as explosions ripped through the country.<\/p>\n Nato member Poland said its Air Force scrambled fighter jets as \u201ca preventive measure\u201d due to the nature of the attacks.<\/p>\n Responding to the growing pressure, France last month announced it would ramp up its National Service.<\/p>\n Volunteers will soon be placed on ten-month deployments for a \u00a39,000 pay packet, Macron announced.<\/p>\n And France\u2019s top general recently warned that the country must be ready to \u201close our children\u201d as the reality of war against Russia looms larger.<\/p>\n Rutte was speaking in the wake of an astonishing tirade directed at Europe from America \u2013 that was tellingly welcomed by Moscow.<\/p>\n A report signed by Trump warned the continent stands on the edge of \u201ccivilisational erasure\u201d \u2013 and blasted its woke \u201ccensorship\u201d and \u201cmass migration\u201d policies.<\/p>\n Putin\u2019s sights are now set on Nato nations, Rutte warnedCredit: via REUTERS<\/p>\n Rutte insisted the US depends on a strong Europe \u2013 even if it doesn\u2019t appear to realise itCredit: Reuters<\/p>\n Then, in an interview with Politico, Trump disparaged Europe as \u201cdecaying\u201d and its leaders as \u201cweak\u201d.<\/p>\n However, Rutte in Berlin insisted that America\u2019s safety relies on a stable Europe \u2013 even if Trump doesn\u2019t know it.<\/p>\n Labour\u2019s\u00a0Peter Kyle<\/a>\u00a0today hit back against the US insults.<\/p>\n